And I'm a BIG fan of this one... creamy cashew cheddar. It's seriously amazing. I try to limit dairy MOST of the time. Pizza is one of my favorite splurges, as are wine and cheese nights, but in my day-to-day I really don't consume dairy.

I served mine over lentil pasta (also good) and it totally hit the "mac & cheese" spot.

Ingredients:

-1 1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews (soaked in water for 8 hours)

-1/2 cup roasted butternut squash

-1/4 cup nutritional yeast

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1/4 cup canned Pimiento peppers

-lemon juice (1/4 lemon)

-1/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt

-1/8 tsp nutmeg

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 cup water

Instructions: Throw everything in the Vitamix or food processor. Turn on at speed 1 and slowly increase to speed 7. Then turn on High for 3 minutes. You will get a hot, creamy faux-cheese. Pour over your favorite pasta or use as a dip for nachos. :)

Since I've gotten my Vitamix, I've been on a mission to try new recipes semi-regularly. I had my heart set on homemade pesto, but the store was out of basil for 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS. I think this is where we hashtag #firstworldproblems but ANYWHO... it was back in stock this week so I made this bomb dish. It's super simple. Super basic. And, thanks to Vitamix, super easy to make!

Disclaimer: the pasta is store-bought almond flour (paleo friendly) and the salmon was grilled with just olive oil, salt and pepper. I seasoned with parsley on top, as well.

Ingredients:

-3 Tbsp pine nuts

-2 cups basil

-1.5 tsp minced garlic

-1/2 cup parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: Throw all of it in the Vitamix/food processor and blend. For Vitamix, gradually turn up from setting 1 to 7. For Vitamix, use the Tamper ("wand thingy" as I like to call it) as needed to maneuver all of the basil leaves/nuts into the blades to blend. Serve over pasta... on homemade pizza.... maybe some pesto chicken... go nuts!

YOU GUYS! Wow. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! I can't believe it's almost New Years! This little blog baby always kind of gets the back burner to the business of my life, but I'm going to work on changing that in 2018 (one of my "intentions" because resolutions are so overrated).

ANYWHO.. for Christmas I got a new Vitamix and I. AM. PUMPED. I've been wanting to make this healthier version of Panera's delicious Autumn Squash Soup since, well.. autumn. I didn't think my Nutribullet could handle it, though. So as soon as I got this baby... SOUP TIME.

I'm gonna keep it real here.. this is pretty good, but I may tweak something the next time I make it. Can't quite put my finger on what's missing... maybe if you make this and notice you can let me know what it needs. Maybe cassava flour.. something to ponder. Overall, a great homemade soup with healthy, real food ingredients (and less money.. let's be real).

Ingredients:

-4 to 5 cups cut butternut squash (I got the pre-cut because cutting butternut squash is kind of a pain in the you-know-what)

-1 can pumpkin puree

-2 medium gala apples

-1 small sweet onion

-2.5 cups vegetable or bone broth (I used Vital Proteins Bone Broth)

-1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (or 1 cup apple cider/juice)

-2 Tbsp honey

-2 Tbsp virgin olive oil

-1tsp cinnamon

-1 tsp ginger

-1/2 tsp curry powder

-1/2 tsp turmeric

-few dashes pink Himalayan sea salt

-few dashes black pepper

-1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Instructions: Chop the apples, quarter the onion, chop the squash if not precut). Drizzle and coat with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for approx. 10 mins (I removed mine from the pan and let cool back in the bowl (I used to coat with olive oil). Add pumpkin and apple cider vinegar to the blender (Vitamix, etc). Once cooled, add the roasted veggies. Slowly increase Vitamix speed from 1 to 10, then turn to High setting for ~1 minute. You may need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. Pour pureed mixture into a large stovetop pot. Add in veggie or bone broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat). Once boiling, add in honey and spices. Lower to a simmer and stir occasionally for another 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in plain greek yogurt (this replaces the heavy cream and butter you might otherwise have added). Top with pepitas and enjoy!